Archive - May 13, 2009

On Saturday, May 2 ARISS and AMSAT operated from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum during Family Day and Space Day events.

The contact, telebridged through W6SRJ in Santa Rosa, went like clockwork. Ten students and boy scouts at the National Air and Space Museum asked 19 questions to astronaut Michael Barratt, KD5MIJ on board ISS during the 9 minute contact opportunity. Audio from the contact was available via the AMSAT conference on EchoLink and via the 9010 Discovery reflector on IRLP.

Also on-hand at the National Air and Space Museum for the contact was Ricky Arnold II, KE5DAU. Ricky answered questions from the audience prior to the contact, sent his greetings to Michael Barratt at the beginning of the contact and stayed with the audience after the contact to answer questions one-on-one and to allow time for individual photos.

A new Progress cargo carrier docked to the Pirs docking compartment of the International Space Station at 3:24 p.m. EDT Tuesday with more than 2 Â½ tons of food, fuel and supplies. The Progress linked up to Pirs as it and the ISS flew 220 miles over the Mongolian-Chinese border.

The ISS Progress 33 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday at 2:37 p.m. It replaces the Progress 32 which undocked from the station May 6. Filled with trash and other discarded items, Progress 32 will be deorbited over the Pacific Ocean on May 18. Prior to deorbit, ground controllers will perform a series of engine firings and study their effect on plasma in the Earth's atmosphere.